Method of attaching fasteners to envelopes, etc.



rAug. 27, 1929. G. c. sNYDER METHOD OF ATTACHING FASTENERS TO ENVELOPES, ETC

.Original Filed Aug. 18,` 1923 2 Sheets-sheer 1 Geogeh C. Jrg/Vde?" @MM Aug. 27, 1929. G. c. sNYDER METHOD OF ATTACHING FASTENERS TO ENVELOPES, ETC

Original Filed Aug. 18. 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Aug. 27, 1929. 'l

UNITED STATES 1,726,003 PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE C. SNYDER, OF LONG ISLAND CITY, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR T0 KAELMA MANU FAGTURING COMPANY, INC., OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

METHOD OF ATTACI-IING FASTENERS TO ENVELOPES, ETC.

Application filed August 18, 1923, Serial No. 658,079. Renewed March 14, 1929.

The present invention relates to a method of attaching paper fasteners to envelopes, bags, cartons or the like, which fasteners are usually composed of metal although the method is applic-able to other suitable materials.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a method whereby fasteners are not' only attached to envelopes or the like by mechanical means, but the fasteners are so applied to the envelopes or the like that complete articles of manufacture are turned out in which the fasteners extend through the closed closures of the envelopes or the like, thereby avoiding the necessity of employing the hands in securing the closures of the envelopes in closed position. In this connection it may be stated that the users of the ordinary clasp envelopes sooner or later object to the necessity of fingering the clasps in order to secure the closure in position for closing up the contents of the envelope, because such repeated fingering often results in very sore fingers if not the cutting and other injuries of the fingers.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a method of setting clasp-arm fasteners on the back walls of envelopes or the like by pressing the attaching portions or prongs of the fasteners through the closures of the envelopes or the like and to leave the clasp-arms outside the closures, and this may be done either by hand implements, or by mechanical means which' latter method is preferable.

It is preferred to make use of the improved method in connection with envelopes or the like having two closures, one of them being closed against the body of the envelope or the like by a clasp fastener, while the other closure is left open so that whatever is to be contained in the envelope may be inserted through the opening' controlled by such latter closure, which may then be sealed to close the opening. Generally speaking, in carrying out the method it is preferred to place such two-flap envelope or the like over an anvil, with one of the flaps open and the other or fastener flap folded over upon the adjoining wall of the envelope, then to cut twol slits in the so-positioned fastenery flap alone, and finally to press the piercing means or attaching prongs of the fastener into the so-positioned fastener flap and thus make two additional cuts, which connect the aforesaid slits to produce a fastener hole in said flap,

while simultaneously to press the piercing means or prongs through the adjoining wall and to upset them against the said wall.

The objects mentioned being among those of the present invention, the same consists of certain method steps to be herein described and then claimed with reference to the accompanying drawings illustrating one of the many possible embodiments of the invention, and in which- Fig. l is a plan of the preferred fastener employed in the method;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation, thereof;

Fig. 3 is a perspective View thereof;

Fig. et is a plan of an envelope, one iiap of which is open While the other flap has been secured closed by a fastener, in accordance with the method of the present invention;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged transverse section of the envelope and fastener, attached under the present method, the broken lines showing the clasp-arms raised to release the flap of the envelope;

Fig. 6 is a `longitudinal section of the envelope through the fastener;

" Fig. 7 is a plan of an envelope placed upon a horn, to illustrate one of the method steps;

Fig. 8 is a sectional view of the horn with an envelope placed thereon, and illustrating a form of cutter for making slits in the envelope closure;

Fig. 9 is a perspective view illustrating a modification of the step of cutting the slits;

Fig. l() is a perspective view of another modification, illustrating that a complete punched out hole in the envelope closure may be made without preliminary slits;

Fig. ll is a longitudinal sectional View of the horn shown in Fig. 8, showing an envelope placed thereon and a hammer about to drive a fastener into the envelope;

Fig. 12 is a longitudinal. sectionaldetail of the parts shown in Fig. 11, illustrating the hammer as having attached a fastener to the envelope; and

Fig. 13 is a detail perspective view of the horn and concomitant parts. i

In carryinglout the improved method, the fastener may first be formed, or lit may be formed as one of the steps of the method, from a blank of any suitable flexible sheet material, preferably sheet metal. The fastener 1l, which is formed from the said blank is illustrated in Figs. l, 2 and 3, and comprises a1 center body 12having two Cil . for securing clasps to envelopes.

wings 13, 13, one at each side, and extending along a line between the said wings there are two aligned, elongated clasp-arms 14, 14. Each of the clasp-arms 14 preferably tapers from its outer end to the point of juncture with the center body 12, the center body, wings and clasp-arms being formed preferably from one piece of material.

Recesses 15 are formed at the four corners between the wings 13 and the arms 14, said recesses flaring outwardly, and the general direction of extent of the recessesbeing towards the center of the body 12, so that the edges of the wings diverge from body 12. The walls 16 of the recesses 15 are preferably curved inwardly at their inner ends as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 4, so that at these points they define the juncture-edges of the wings and the arms, the purpose of which will be hereinafter explained.

Prongs 17, 18 are formed preferably in one piece with the wings 13, and are bent up from the outer edges of the wings along parallel bending lines 19, in parallel planes at right angles to the wings, so that said prongs are on opposite sides ofthe longitudinal axis of the fastener. Preferably each prong is a double one, and the extreme outer edges 20, 2O of each double prong converge, while the adjacent inner edges 21, 21 of each double prongmeet to form an angle and diverge from each wing, the said inner edges being preferably at a greater slant'than the outer edges 20, 20. The purpose of this con struction of prong will be explained herein after. Y

Under the present invention the closure of an envelope, bag, carton or the like may be temporarily secured by the herein-described fastener 11. An envelope 22 is illustrated in Fig. 4, which has one of its closure-flaps 23 secured by the fastener 11 while the other fiap 24 is preferably gummed and left open. There is no envelope necessarily involved in this invention, broadly speaking, but the improved fastener is more particularly adapted rlhe fastener is preferably applied while the flap' 23 is closed, as shown in Fig. 4, to which end two parallel slits 25, 25 are first made in the iap 23,'said slits extending transversely to the opening of the envelope, which 1s tobe closed by said flap. The two slits may be formed while the flap 23 is open, or when the iiap Vis closed against the body of the envelope or other like enclosing means. In the latter case the cutting of the slits 25 would be just through the fiap 23 and not into the body of the envelope.

Mechanisminay be used to produce the slits 25, 25, or theyfmay be cut by a pen knife,'and mechanism is preferably employed to attach the fastener, but this also may be done' by hand. Preferably in attaching the fastener -to the envelope the lprongs 17, 18

are presented towards the portion of the flap which lies betwen the slits 25, 25 and which is in contact with the body of the envelope, so as to out the flap along lines connecting the ends of the two slits 25, 25 when the fastener is pressed towards the flap 23. This action will cut out a four-sided hole in the flap, and, simultaneously with the piercing of the flap by the prongs, the latter cut through the adjacent wall of the envelope and are upset in some suitable manner upon the undersurface ofthe wall, leaving slight bends at 26. See Figs. 5 and 6. It will be seen that when the fastener is attached to the envelope in this manner the clasp-arms 14 will lie across the flap 23, so that they may be bent outwardly and withdrawn through the hole formed in the flap so as to release the fiap when desired.

Preferably the prongs of the fastener are driven through, and upset uponthe underside of, the seam 27 of the envelope. TvVhen the clasp-arms 14, 14 are bent outwardly into parallel, to release the flap they will not bend along sharp angles tending to weaken or break the connection of the arms with the rest of the fastener'. On the contrary, the inner ends of the prongs will be bent in gentle curves, and inasmuch as the recesses 15 lie within the bounds of the hole formed in the flap of the envelope, as shown in Fig. 4, the flap may be released from the parallel clasp-arms without tearing the material at the hole inthe flap, especially if the'latter be without re-inforce. In the cutting out of the hole in the flap the prong edges 20, 21 will cut out a clean hole, and in the piercing of the adjacent wall of the envelope the edges 21 will do the real cutting, while the edges 20 will more slowly, or by a sort of wedging action, lengthen the slits formed by the edges 21 of the prongs.

I will now describe the preferred method of applying` such clasp fasteners to envelopes or other like containers as bags, cartons, etc. Referring to Figs. 7- and 3 a suitable shaped horn or blade 30 is provided to receive the envelope 22 or the like, with the flap 23 closed agains the back wall of the envelope and the fiap 24 open. Said horn may be rigidly supported in any suitable manner. The horn 30 is provided with an anvil portion 31 having a slight concavity 32. Operable towards the horn there is a power reciprocatedtool 33 having'two parallel slitting knives 34 to form.' the slits 25 in the closure 23 of the envelope. The thickness of the walls of the envelope 22 placed upon the horn are shown in Fig. 8 as somewhat exaggerated as also in Figs. 5 and 6, at least as compared with the usual thinness of paper for clasp envelopes,although the invention is evenapplicable to paste board or cardboard receptacles with walls as thick or even thicker than those shown.

The slitting knives 84 are shownfas just deep enough to cut merely through the material of the closure 28.

The step of slitting the closures of recep tacles vmay also be performed entirely by a hand tool 85 having knives 36 is shown in broken lines in Fig. 9. Here the closure 23 of the envelope is shown as open sothat no precautions need be taken against slitting anything but the closure. In Fig. 10 an implement 37 is shown having a continuous cutting edge 38, shown in broken lines, and of rectangular' form fonthe purpose of, in the first instance and without preliminary slitting, cutting or chopping out of the closure 23 a piece 39 of the material of the closure, whereby a Vcomplete perforation is formed in the closure by said tool37. Bothof these modifications may be resorted to when the closure 23 is against the envelope or other body provided care is exercised not vto cut beyond the closure 23.

The preferable way of carrying out the improved method is however illustrated in Figs.`7',` 8, 11 and 12, in which case the closure 23 would be in contact with the adjoining wall of the envelope orother receptacle.

After the slits have been cut the tool (Fig. 8) is moved away from the hornBO and a hammer Il() moved to a position such that it may drive directly towards the anvil portion 31. Hammer 40 `being in raised position a fastener such as 11'is placed in line with the'hammer and the anvil portion 31 so that the center body 12 of the fastener willbe next to the convex face 41 vof the hammer and the prongs 17, 18, presented.

towards the closure 23.` In this from of the invention the prongs must be presented'to the closure in such position as tov make twok cuts in the closure to connect thev silts 25 Y' previously made when the hammer Ll0 is now caused or allowed to rpress the fastener towardsthe envelope or other receptacle so as to attach it thereto. Y

Before describing here just what happens in attaching the fastener, it is to be noted that the horn carries two plate springs 42, 43, shown in Figs. 11, 12 and 13. These two springs are arranged in alignment, one at each side of the anvil portion 31 so as to extend longitudinally of the horn, the outer ends of the springs being rigidly fixed to the horn while the inner ends 44 are free, and are close to the anvil portion 8l. The free ends 44 of the springs are suitably bent up so as to form supplemental anvils.

Reverting to the position of the fastener 11 as shown in Fig. 11 it will be observed that in this step of the method the hammer Ll() will press the'fastener towards the envelope and when the same has been driven home, the parts involved will be in position shown in Fig. 12. The prongs 17, 18, of the fastener will have chopped out a complete hole or perforation in theclosure 23 of the envelope, already partially formed byv the slits 25, and the prongs of the fastener will have been upset preferably outwardly upon the supplemental spring anvils 4A leaving a small piece of the closure under the center body 12. The shape of the spring anvils a4.- is such that the upset portions of the prongs will be slightly bent so that *the sharp extremities of the prongs will be turned towards the underside of the wall of the envelope against which they are upset. It will benoted from Fig. 12 that the convex portion lil of the hammer will produce a slight inward convexity in the center portion 12 of the fastener towards the closure 23, and the pressure at the moment of upsetting the fastener will likewise cause the parts of the envelope directly under-lying the convex center portion 12 and upon that side of the horn 30 to be pressed in the anvil-concavity 32 into corresponding shape and toform the inward bulge It is obvious that the specifically described apparatus and method steps need not be used and performed, and that modifications in the invention may be resorted to without departing from the purpose of the invention. lt is clear that when the pre-l liminary slits 25 have been formed in the manner shown in Fig. 9 it would then be necessary to press the iap 23 against the back wall of the envelope in order to perform the step of kattaching shown in Figs. 11 and 12.y Likewise a complete hole may first be vformed in the closure 23 yas shown in Fig. .10 "and the closure then `pressed against the adjoining wall of the envelope and the fastener prongs pressed through the so previously formed hole, or a complete hole inthe closure may even be made while the flap is closed against the envelope, care being taken not to cut anything but theclosure. ln the latter case the prongs of the fastener whenV attached to the envelope as shown in Fig. 12 would first be rpressed through the alreadyV completely formed hole. It is vnotv absolutely essential, although itis. desirable, to convex the center portionl of the fastener so as to form the bulge m; but in either case it can be truly said that under the present method the material of the clasp-arms and of their connections with the other parts of the fastener are so applied to the envelope or the like that they are practically as unstrained and unset as when the fastener was first formed out of the flat blank of sheet material, and that these parts of the fastener show practically no physical molec-` ular change since they were cut as a blank from the original piece of metal or other material. l/Vhen the preferred fastener is attached under this method to envelopes or the like having walls and closures of the usual thin material, it is a fact that all parts of lll() llt) the fastener will lie substantially as flat as the original blank from which it was formed, as indicated in Fig. 4:, as there merely will be almost `imperceptibly slight kinks at the bases of the prongs.

What I claim as new is l. The method of attaching fasteners, of the type having piercing attaching means and a movable clasp arm or tongue, to envelopes, etc., which consists in pressing the piercing means through the closure o-f the envelope and thereby cutting the closure to leave a hole therein while retaining the said clasp arm outside the envelope, and upsetting the piercing means on a wall of the en velope adjacent th-e closure, whereby the clasp arm is adapted to be moved so as to clear the hole and open the envelope at will.

2. The method of attaching fasteners to envelopes, etc., which consists in forming the partial outline of a hole in the closure thereof, and pressing a fastener into said closure to complete the outline of the hole.

3. The method of attaching fasteners to envelopes, etc., which consists in partially forming a hole in the closure thereof, pressing a fastener into said closure to complete the hole, and simultaneously therewith setting the fastener on a wall adjacent the closure.

t. The method of attaching a fastener to envelopes, etc., which consists in cutting two slits in the closure-flap thereof to partially form a hole, and pressing the attaching prongs of a fastener into said flap while it is folded down upon the back wall, and thus making two cuts, and connecting said slits to complete the hole, while simultaneously therewithsetting the fastener on said back wall.

5. The method of attaching fasteners to envelopes, etc., which consists in providing an envelope or the like with two closure flaps, placing the envelope over an anvil with one flap open and the other or fastener flapv folded over upon the back wall of the envelope, and forming a hole in the sopositionedy fastener flap while simultaneously setting the fastener on the back wall of thev attaching prongs of the fastener into the sopositioned fastener flap and thus lmaking two cuts connecting said slits to produce a hole in said flap, while simultaneously pressing the prongs through the back wall and upsetting them against said Wall.

7. The method of attaching fasteners to envelopes, etc., which comprises folding the closure ap of the envelope or the .like against the body of the same, and permanentlyattaching a fastener having a bendable tongue to the body beneath the folded flap and in engagement with the interior of the envelope while simultaneously securing the flap temporarily by the bendable tongue, so that the tongue maybe released from the flap, by bending it for the first time after the permanent attachment of the fastener to the envelope.

8. Steps in the method of attachingl a clasp-arm fastener to an envelope consisting in attaching the fastener tol a wall of the en velope in such a manner as to temporarily hold the closure Hap in closed position, and simultaneously forming a hole in the fla-p for passage over' subsequently deflected clasparms of the fastener.

9. Steps in the method of attaching a fastener to an envelope consisting in applying the fastener to a wall of the envelope with' its clasp-arm overlying the closure flap,.while said flap is in closed position, simultaneously piercing the flapy to provide a clearance hole for the subsequently deflected clasp-arm, and securing the fastener to said wall of the envelope with portions engaging the interior' of said wall.

GEORGE C. SNYDER. 

